The present invention, Colocasia ‘Black Sapphire Gecko’, relates to a new and distinct interspecific hybrid of Colocasia, hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Black Sapphire Gecko’. ‘Black Sapphire Gecko’ is a new tropical plant used as a landscape and container plant in tropical and subtropical areas.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor at his nursery in Louisville, Ky. The overall purpose of the breeding program is to make selections of Colocasia plants with colorful foliage and that are well suited for landscape or containers. ‘Black Sapphire Gecko’ arose from a cross make in June of 2011 between unnamed proprietary Colocasia hybrid plants (not patented) from the Inventor's breeding program as the female and male parents. ‘Black Sapphire Gecko’ was selected as a single unique plant in June of 2013 from amongst the seedlings derived from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by in vitro propagation using meristem tissue under the direction of the Inventor in Eustis, Fla. in March of 2014. Asexual propagation by in vitro propagation has shown that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations